VENOMANCER

The Venomancer is the pet taming class. Also known as the solo class, the Venomancers have their own pet that works as their personal tank. The pet can be healed by the Venomancer, making them the perfect team. But the Venomancer is a lot more then its pets cleric. Specializing in poison magical damage and debuff skills, the Venomancer is a powerful class even without the pet. Venomancers even have the ability to turn themselves into foxes, which increases their physical defense and accuracy. It's also worth mentioning that the Venomancer is probably the most hated class in the game, for various reasons. One being that, with a legendary pet, the Venomancer is able to solely kill bosses that other classes need a whole squad to kill. For this reason, they are also able to gain large amounts of money, that other classes have to work harder to obtain.

Cons: Low HP Rarely invited in party The most hated class Can be boring to play as you mostly just heal your pet Can be bad PvPers as they have the habit of relying to much on their pet

Venomancer Weapons Magical Damage Chart: Lower-Low-Medium-High-Higher

Wand:

Medium-Medium damage

Magic Sword:

Medium-High damage

Pataka:

Low-Higher damage

Glaive:

Medium-Higher damage Venomancer Armor

Venomancers can use either Heavy Armor or Robe Armor depending on wether they go the fox-form path or the damage dealer path. Most Venomancers use HP gems, but as a pure magic Venomancer, it's better to go with physical gems. You can go for different stats on your equipment depending on which path you take. Damage dealers usually go for the 'channel' stats while the Heavy Armor build goes for Vitality and Strength stats.

Venomancer in PvP

With a pet dealing physical damage and the Venomancer dealing magical damage, it's like fighting against two opponents at once. But the difference between PvE and PvP here is that, the smart opponents wont waste their time on dealing damage to the pet, but only the Venomancer. This might sound obvious if you're playing another class, but as a Venomancer it is really isn't, as you quickly get the habit of relying to much on your pet taking all the damage. This means that it's first when you start PvPing, you really learn to use remedies and pots, and get to know your skills better. Unlike other classes who learn this from level 1.

Venomancer in PvE

Venomancers are the fastest levelers because they have almost twice as much damage as other classes. The pet also takes all the damage that is dealt, which means that you will rarely die in PvE. Venomancers are also able to do most of their own bosses. All of this means they almost never need help from others, which is also why they are so rarely invited in squads. When they are, they usually act as tank, damage dealer or lure. Venomancer in Territory War

This is where the Venomancers debuff skills really comes into play. Barbarians get most of their power from their buffs, and this is where the Venomancer comes in. They have both their Purge skill, which removes all positive buffs from the target, and their Amplify Damage which makes the target take 20% more damage. This makes killing Barbarians a lot easier. Not only that, but Venomancers also have their Lending Hand skill which gives away one of their sparks to another player. This makes them a great team mate for Wizards who needs both the sparks and the protection, that Venomancer can give.

Statistics

Venomancers are born with fairly balanced statistics. They lack neither hitpoints nor mana and are one of the most agile classes. While their physical attack is exceeded by their magic attack, this by no means limits a Venomancer’s ability to deal physical damage. A Venomancer’s physical attack even rivals that of the Blademaster melee class. Alternatively, Venomancers are one of three classes with the highest magic attack in the game.

Due to the unique ability to use both magic and melee attacks, there are several builds that Venomancers can have. These builds include the Pure Mage Build, Mage Build, Vitality-Mage Build, Light Armor Build and Heavy Armor Build.

As can be expected, none of the builds listed are without weaknesses. However there are several ways that you can mitigate such weaknesses. The first is by imbuing soulgems into your equipment. Soulgems are stones that can be infused into your armor and weapons to increase various characteristics. There are primarily three soulgems that players commonly imbue into their equipment: Garnet Shards, Sapphire Shards and Citrine Shards.

Choosing the right soulgems for your armor can help compensate for any weaknesses that your build may have. For suggestions on the soulgems that you should imbue into your armor please consult the following. Pure MageCitrine Necessary to offset the lack of points allocated to Vitality. Garnet Optional, can be mixed with Citrine Shards to improve the lack of physical defense.

Mage Citrine Needed for increasing the lack of health points. Garnet Optional, can be mixed with Citrine Shards to increase physical defense.

The grade or level of the soulgems that you imbue depends on your budget. Please note however that the higher the grade, the better the add-ons from the soulgem will be.

A second means that players may consider for improving their build is through refining their equipment. Refining is done at the Elder of any major city and will add additional statistics to your armor and weapons. Refining armor for low Vitality builds, such as the Pure Mage Build, is particularly important as it will add extra health points. Refining weapons for melee damage builds, such as the Heavy Armor Build, is also important as it will improve your damage output. The greater the number of times that you refine a single piece of equipment, the greater the value of the add-ons.

Players can also improve their builds simply by choosing the appropriate accessories (i.e. the proper necklaces and belts). Accessories can come with extra statistics (listed in blue at the bottom of an item’s description) thus choosing the accessories with the right add-ons is also crucial. Suggestions for the accessories that you should be wearing with each build are listed below.

A Venomancer’s skills are divided into two skill trees. The first skill tree centers on magic attacks. These skills can only be used when you are not in fox form and when you have a magic weapon equipped. The second skill tree focuses primarily on melee attacks. To use these skills you must be in fox form. Your choice of skills will be dependent on your gameplay preferences and more specifically the build that you choose. As an Arcane Venomancer you will be primarily relying on the magic attack skill tree however you will also turn to the fox form skill tree to learn several debuffs. As a light or heavy amour Venomancer you may rely more heavily on the fox form skill tree but will also borrow skills from the magic attack skill tree. It is not likely that you will strictly focus on one stream of skills. To play a Venomancer successfully you should be taking advantage of both skill trees.Roles

As a Venomancer you take on three major roles: that of a Lurer, Tank, Debuffer and Supporter.

Role of a Lurer…

Perhaps the most predominant role of a Venomancer is being the “Lurer”. The act of luring involves pulling a single target from a cluster of monsters in order to handle these monsters one at a time rather than all at once. A Venomancer’s ability to command and control pets gives them the ability to do this. On the most basic level, a successful lure includes selecting a target and sending your pet to attack it. When your pet has landed a single attack, stow it. Failure to stow your pet immediately after the first hit allows all surrounding monsters the opportunity to attack and possibly kill your pet so timing is crucial. When your pet is stowed, only the monster that was attacked will charge forward. During this time you should be re-summoning your pet. This technique is unique to Venomancers and makes them the most proficient class at pulling both mobs and bosses.

Role of a Tank…

With the right pet, a Venomancer can also play the role of the “Tank”. Generally speaking, a Venomancer’s pet must be ten to fifteen levels above a boss in order to be able to tank comfortably. The only exception to this rule would be legendary pets. Using a legendary pet, a Venomancer can tank a boss at or above their current level. If you are worried about a boss overwhelming your pet, it may be wise to team up with other Venomancers. Not only can Venomancers heal their own pets, they can also heal the pets of other Venomancers simply by selecting them and starting their heal spell. The greater the number of healers, the better survivability your pet will have. Note: Bosses with extremely severe debuffs such as Eyes of the Krimson Beyond and Cenequus Polearm cannot be tanked by a Venomancer.

Role of a Debuffer…

As a Venomancer, you have at your disposal several useful debuff spells. These debuffs include Ironwood Scarab, Amplify Damage and Purge. When used, Ironwood Scarab decreases the physical defense of a target for a short period of time. This amplifies the damage output of your pet as well as that of any physical damage players that you may be squading with. Amplify Damage increases the amount of damage that a target takes for a short period of time. This skill is considered a time-saving spell as it greatly improves the amount of time that it would take to succeed against a boss or monster. Purge removes any positive effects (i.e. buffs) that a target may have. This skill is particularly important when facing monsters that can enhance the damage that they do to your pet or to a tank.

Role of a Supporter...

In the instances where they are not the tank, Venomancers become an important support class. The ability to pass chi to other players using the skill “Lending Hand” ensures that squad members have the resources they need to use all of their skills. Venomancers are also known to be excellent damage dealers. Using Your Pet

As a Venomancer, it’s vital that you have a complete understanding of how to use your pet in order to improve your gameplay.

The Basics

Once hatched, all of a Venomancers pets can be found in the Pet Bag. To access your Pet Bag simply use Alt+P. From the Pet Bag you can call or stow your pet and view a pet’s stats. It’s recommended that you drag the icons of your pets into your quick shot panels to improve the ease at which you can summon and unsummon them.

After summoning a pet you will notice that the first skill that appears on the pet panel is outlined in yellow. This will be the skill that your pet automatically uses when in combat. If you wish to change this skill, right click on a different skill. Please note that your pet can only have one skill selected at a time and that only attack and debuff skills will be cast automatically (buff skills must be used manually). If you do not want your pet to do any special skills, right click on the currently selected skill. This will reduce your pet to simply doing base physical attacks. Keep in mind though that the pet panel will not remember your selection of skills so you will need to reset this every time you resummon your pet.

Commands

Adjacent to your pet’s special attacks on the pet panel are three commands: Attack, Follow and Halt. Command Description Attack Command pet to attack. Follow Order pet to follow its host. Halt Order pet to be on standy-by.

When to use Attack… You will want to command your pet to attack before you yourself attack. This will ensure that you pet gains and holds the attention of a monster. Should you land an attack before your pet, you will need to tank the monster’s damage instead of your pet (something not recommended for Arcane Venomancers). Using the Attack command also allows you to switch targets quickly in the case that you attract the attention of more than one monster at a time. If you do not send your pet to attack the additional monsters whose attention you’ve drawn, you will pull aggression onto yourself (even if you are only healing your pet). When to use Follow… First of all, do not use the Follow command to lure a single target from a cluster of monsters. This will cause all of the monsters to charge forward. You may however use the Follow command to lure a single boss or monster if they are alone. The Follow command is also used to make your pet retreat should you choose the wrong target and do not wish to attack it or you want to stop your pet from doing any more damage. When to use Halt… Though perhaps less frequently used than the previous two commands, the Halt command finds its uses for complex luring. Additionally, much like the Follow command, it can be used to prevent your pet from doing any additional damage. Please note that the Halt command will still be active for all summoned pets should it not be turned off before a pet is stowed. Stances

There are three battle stances that a Venomancer’s pets can have: Manual, Auto and Defend. Once set, the stance will be remembered by the pet panel and will be consistent amongst all pets summoned.

Stance Description Manual Player must command pet to attack manually. Auto Pet will attack automatically. Defend Pet will attack aggressing enemies automatically. When to use Manual… Putting your pet on Manual makes them more responsive to commands when in combat than when in any other stance. In both Auto and Defend, a pet will attack enemies automatically thus making it difficult to tell your pet to Follow or Halt. The same issue does not occur when a pet is in the Manual stance. It is therefore recommended that this stance be used when luring a monster or boss using the Follow command or when wanting to prevent your pet from doing any additional damage.

When to use Auto… For the majority of your PVE gameplay, you will want to have your pet in this stance. This will ensure that your pet attacks anything that you do and that your pet will not return to you until all attacking monsters have been dealt with. As stated previously though, you will have difficulty executing Follow and Halt commands.

When to use Defend…Though it is not a commonly used stance, Defend can prove to be quite useful in pk-enabled areas. When in Defend, your pet will automatically attack any monsters or players that are attacking you. Your pet will however not automatically attack on the first hit that you land on a previously docile monster. As such, it is not commonly used for PVE gameplay.

Pet Skills

As a Venomancer it is not only important to have the right pets, it is equally important to ensure that your pets have the right skills.

Choosing Pet Skills

A battle pet can be taught up to four skills and while your selection of skills will be a personal preference, these are some of the skills that you should take into consideration.

Tough Reduce all damage received for a short period of time. ● Tanking large damage

Note: Skill recommendations are based on pet skill scrolls that can be purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Zoologist (rare pet skills are not listed).

Upgrading Your Pet’s Skills

All pet skills start at level one and can be upgraded up to level five. Your pet must however meet certain level requirements before you can upgrade its skills.

Skill Level Pet Level Required Lv 1 1 Lv 2 20 Lv 3 40 Lv 4 60 Lv 5 80

In order to upgrade a skill that your pet already has, you must purchase a Tame Book from Mrs. Zoologist (586, 620) or Mr. Zoologist (586 649).

Tame Book Upgrades one pet skill by one level. cost: 200,000 coins

Once you have a Tame Book in your inventory, summon the pet whose skills you wish to upgrade (land and air pets at Mrs. Zoologist and water pets at Mr. Zoologist). Next, speak with Mr. or Mrs. Zoologist and choose “Learn Pet Skills”. This will list all of the skills that you can upgrade as well as the spirit that it will cost to do so. Simply click on the icon of the desired skill and it will increase its level by one. You can repeat this process again if you have the necessary number of Tame Books in your inventory and your pet has the required level. Teaching Your Pet New Skills

In order to teach your pet a new spell, you will need a Pet Skill Scroll. Basic Pet Skill Scrolls can be purchased from Mrs. Zoologist and Mr. Zoologist however rare Pet Skill Scrolls can only be obtained from the Temple of the Dragon (an instance that appears once a week) or other players. When you have the desired Pet Skill Scroll in your inventory, talk to Mr. or Mrs. Zoologist and choose “Learn Pet Skills”. Your desired skill should be listed.

If your pet already has four skills, you will need to forget one of these four skills in order to learn a new one. To unlearn a pet skill first purchase a Forget Scroll from Mr. or Mrs. Zoologist.

Forget Scroll Make a pet forget a skill it has already mastered. cost: 100,000 coins

Once you've purchased a Forget Scroll choose “Forget Pet Skill” at Mr. or Mrs. Zoologist. This will display a list with all of your pet’s current skills. Click on your skill of choice to unlearn it. Note: Forgetting a pet skill will not revert it back into a Pet Skill Scroll, instead it will permanently erase the skill from your pet panel so choose carefully.

Playing a Venomancer

As can be expected, each class, possessing their own unique traits, can excel in situations where others cannot. Venomancers are no exception and shine in several circumstances. This is not to say however that there are not situations in which Venomancers can be surpassed by other classes.

1. FB Dungeons Having the ability to lure coupled with the ability to tank allows the majority of Venomancers to do extremely well in FB’s.

2. Twilight Temple With pets not suffering a damage reduction at bosses, Venomancers are valued for their ability to deal damage and tank. Venomancers are also highly sought after for their ability to lure.

3. Cube of Fate Through the use of their pet, Venomancers can easily solo several of the bosses and monsters found in the Cube. Their several regeneration and protection spells also help them withstand attacks from other players.

4. Territory War Using the proper strategy, Venomancers can also excel in Territory War. It should however be noted that Light and Heavy Armor Venomancers will have a better survivability rate than Arcane Venomancers.

5. Zhenning While they take on the role of a lurer in zhen parties, their ability to lure in this instance is usually mediocre in comparison to that of a Blademaster or Barbarian.

6. Rebirth Though Venomancers are valued for their agility and capacity to tank damage, their role in Rebirths is much less defined than for any other class.

Regardless of what has been said, nothing should prevent you from enjoying all aspects of gameplay. Simply know your weaknesses, build off of your strengths and don’t be afraid to experiment with different techniques!